Why can't I lose any weight?

how long have you been trying to lose weight?

This may seem like and odd question, but do you take any medications? I have been doing a lot of research on this and have found most anxiety and/or depression drugs cause a significant portion of the population to struggle with weight gain AND with trying to take it off while on these medications. This in NOT universal for everyone though.

You do not have to eat at certain intervals like every 3 hrs. That is an outdated myth. Eat whenever you want. Your daily intake is what matters most.

I just went back on my medication for bi-polar at the end of fall and before you I knew it 16 lbs come back on. I just can't stop eating. Doing the food diary is a reality check. It is making me much more conscious of what I am putting in my mouth. I am not going to let it get the best of me. I need that med. It helps me be well adjusted. I just have to have more self control of about what I am putting in my mouth.

Hey! I just viewed your food diary and it's not very consistent... I know it can be a bit time consuming, but you really need to log every little thing in.... not go below 1200 calories and get as close to your protein as possible.... also eating healthy fats, whole grains, lean proteins are the best way to get your calories. i went to see a dietician to help me recognize healthy foods and met up with a nutritionist at my local grocery store to help me find the best and healthiest versions of the foods I like....
Keep at it and with the help of all my great MFP friends I've been able to do great, I am sure you can too! Get a few days of consecutive logging and then we can get a good idea if there could be any tweeking done!!
Hope this helps!!

It is extremely important that you do not go under your calories. Eating under your calories will slow down your weight loss at the pace of a snail. Maybe water retention is the source of your problem. How are you doing with your fruits (4) and vegetables (5) as they are natural diuretics? Water retention can amount to 3-5lbs easily. If you eliminate the water retention than your true weight loss would be revealed. I just started and lost 5lbs in one week which I attribute to eating all my allotted calories, fruits (4), and vegetables (5) everyday. Also, I have been eating 1-2 pieces (120 cal) of dark chocolate everyday just because I love chocolate. I did not know it was a fat burner which is even more important to include it in the diet.

Hi, just a word of encouragement, if you set your goal with myfitnesspal and follow it daily you will lose weight. I have been following my calorie count since Nov 29 and have lost 32 pounds. Find things you like to eat and count the calories, dont try to do like everyone else just be yourself and eat what you want just not much of it . No matter what the scales say, stay on the calorie count you will get use to it and lose . Look forward to hearing when you hit your goal.

You should be more consistent when logging your meals, also make sure you are drinking enough water since you are exercising you have to stay hydrated.

also
You should eat back your exercise calories.
Simply stated MFP has already figured out your total calories you need to eat per day to lose 1lb etc. a week.
That's WITHOUT exercise. You'll notice that when you actually add exercise in, the calorie limit goes up.
Why? Because it's telling you to eat your exercise calories.
Large deficits aren't really good to do because while you will lose weight, what kind of weight will it be?
In many cases you'll lose lean muscle tissue which LOWERS your metabolic rate even more.
Then you have to eat even less to compensate for less of a calorie burn to continue to lose the same amount
of weight each week.

Be efficient.
Exercise hard and eat back the calories. The hard exercise will RAISE your metabolic rate and burn more fat at rest.

I have been eating oatmeal and oj for breakfast, two salads, one for lunch and one for dinner, plus a meal under 300 calories, I eat 6 meals a day, I snack on carrots, apples, rice cakes. I drink about 12 8 oz of water, no sodas, my trainer stated that I needed 30 minutes of cardio a day, take a walk, heart rate needs to be up. Also, I tried to keep each meal under 300 calories if you can cut 100 calories from each meal, you will lose 30 pounds by summer.

This is what I am doing, good luck, I have to lose 140 pounds. Kathy. I lost 20 pounds all ready.

You are going to get conflicting opinions in this forum. What works for one person may not work for another. Just remeber to eat fresh foods, avoid processed foods, continue drinking your water, and excersize. My Doctor tols me to be patient. I have been here for 5 weeks, eating good and working out, and I gained 4 pounds. Your body needs time to adjust to a new routine, whether it is working-out or eating healthy. BE PATIENT !!!!

vdsmith-I peeked at your food diary(hope that's ok) and here is a suggestion. Add sugar to what your page is tracking. You will be surprised at how much sugar is hidden in any food that comes in a bottle, box or package. I personally for the time being had to break myself of the coffee creamer habit after I realized that I was consuming 50 plus grams of sugar just with my coffee. Sugar is one of those things that messes with your hormonal balance and will screw with your ability to drop pounds.

Keep going, don't give up !!

dt:drinker: :sad:

OK. I have a question re: the sugar issue. My diary says my goal for sugar is 33 and 1 piece of fruit is 23. I had an apple, 2 bananas, 4 tsp of sugar in my coffee, sugar in the baked oatmeal with blueberries and bananas so my sugar is way over my target. Why would the sugar goal be so low?

How was everyone's weekend?
I fell off the wagon. D**nit!
Today is a new day...

~Sarah